Insights into the Impacts of Our Nation’s Rapidly Changing Health Policy on Public Health

WASHINGTON, DC (February 6, 2018) — At a time when the nation’s health policy is and has been in serious flux, the George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) has a new website focused on the future of health policy.  GW Health Policy Matters is a source for important insights into and commentary about policy changes that impact public health.

Recent posts include observations by the school’s Sara Rosenbaum, JD, the Harold and Jane Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy, on the impacts of the Trump administration’s decisions about the Affordable Care Act.  Blogs by Leighton Ku, PhD, MPH, director of the school’s Center for Health Policy Research, include a recent one on the differences between two approaches to helping small businesses pool their resources to get better deals on private insurance plans.  Susan Wood, PhD, director of the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health, shared her thoughts on why the Food and Drug Administration should implement some of the National Academies’ recommendations for making medicines affordable. 

Housed within the Milken Institute SPH’s Department of Health Policy and Management, the new website stays abreast of health policy developments in Washington and our federal government, as well as key developments in U.S. states and abroad.  In addition to articles and blogs with commentary on significant policy developments, the site includes information about notable publications, presentations, and videos by members of the department and school.

“Our location in the nation’s capital just a short walk to the White House and few Metro stops away from the U.S. Capitol gives us a unique opportunity to interact with the nation’s policymakers and both observe and influence the national debate,” says Thomas LaVeist, PhD, chair of the Milken Institute SPH’s Department of Health Policy and Management. 

In addition to timely articles and blogs on health reform, the website covers health information technology and innovation, health economics, health equity, health services research, health management, and the workforce that delivers health care.  Other material also relates to federal programs including Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and community health centers. 

The website is managed by several key faculty experts, including Janet Heinrich, DrPH, RN, a research professor who previously served as senior advisor at the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovations at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.  Sam Hanna, MBA, program director of HealthInformatics@GW, is a health analytics expert who led large consulting practices and worked in the health field for 18 years.  Naomi Seiler, JD, serves as an associate research professor with training and interest in law and policy related to a range of public health issues including HIV and substance use disorder; her experience includes eight years as committee staff in the U.S. House of Representative. 

The GW Health Policy Matters website can be accessed at gwhealthpolicymatters.com.

The Milken Institute SPH thanks Peter Kovler and the Kovler Fund of Local Community Foundation for providing support to assist with the development of the Health Policy Matters project.